The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Willamette Valley from the digital home of Southern Oregon, from Wynne Broadcasting’s WillametteValleyMagazine.com
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Friday– Widespread frost before 11am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 50. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday– A 30 percent chance of rain after 5pm. Snow level 2100 feet rising to 3400 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Sunday– Rain likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday– Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 55.
Police Investigate Possible Pipe Bomb Threat At Sheldon High School
Eugene police are investigating a possible pipe bomb threat at Sheldon High School after a student shared concerns anonymously in an Instagram post.
In a letter to students and families, Principal Mike Ingman of Sheldon High School said the post was from an unofficial SHS Instagram account where students can post things anonymously.
“In that post a person wrote that they were a Sheldon student and had overheard someone talking about putting pipe bombs in the school next week,” Ingman said. “The person stated that they were unsure whether or not to report this because they did not know if the person they overheard was serious or joking”.
The Eugene Police Department and the Eugene 4J School District office were immediately notified, including the Director of Student Wellness and School Safety.
The district and the police department are in investigating the situation, Ingman said.
Reports of threats can be made to the following:
- Sheldon High School administrators
- Eugene Police Department at 541-682-5111
- SafeOregon by calling or texting 844-472-3367
- Email to tip@safeoregon.com
- Report through the web or mobile app at safeoregon.com.
Reports to SafeOregon may be made anonymously.
The 84th Annual Oregon Logging Conference This Weekend in Eugene
The 84th annual Oregon Logging Conference will be held Thursday Feb. 24 – Saturday Feb. 26 at the Lane Event Center and Fairgrounds.
This year’s theme is “Family, Friends and Forestry 2.0” a nod to last year’s event which was held virtually. This year’s event will return to the traditional in-person format.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Blake Manley, a Natural Resources teacher at Sweet Home High School and creator of the Manley Jobs YouTube series, Chair of the Oregon Natural Resources Teachers Association and a logger. Seminars and panel discussions will be offered on a range of topics. MORE INFO: https://oregonloggingconference.com/
Benton County Sheriff’s Office Investigates Fatal Crash near Philomath
CORVALLIS, Ore. – On February 23, 2022, at 7:08 am, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Fern Road, near Powerhouse Rd, south of Philomath. Twenty-six-year-old Mathew Aleksander Jardini of Templeton, California, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Benton County Crash Team responded to the scene and determined Jardini, in his 2000 Chevy Astro Van, was traveling west on Fern Road approaching a corner which he failed to negotiate and crashed head-on into a tree.
A notification was made to Jardini’s family Wednesday afternoon by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
The Benton County Crash Team was assisted by the Philomath Police Department and Philomath Fire Department.
If you have any additional information, please contact Benton County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant David Iverson at 541-766-0139. Benton Co. Sheriff’s Office
Rats and Mice Continue To Be Big Problem in Eugene
Rodents are a big problem in the Eugene area right now. In fact, Merle Jackson with Merle’s Pest Control said rat issues are increasing. She suggests now is the time for prevention.
“In the winter months they’re actively trying to find a place to nest,” she told KLCC. “That’s when they have a tendency to come into cars and your house. The main thing to protect your home is exclusion. You need to walk around your house and you need to make sure that there are no entry points to go in your crawl space.”
Jackson said rodents use crawl spaces to gain access to a house. She said they can fit into holes nearly as small as a dime—they just need to get their head in. Jackson warned rats are a neighborhood issue. She recommends taking steps to protect your own home as you can’t monitor what neighbors may be doing.
Oregon reports 1,160 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 35 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 35 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,519, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 1,160 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 690,481.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (19), Clackamas (78), Clatsop (6), Columbia (23), Coos (17), Crook (13), Curry (24), Deschutes (69), Douglas (42), Gilliam (1), Harney (3), Hood River (5), Jackson (118), Jefferson (24), Josephine (13), Klamath (11), Lake (3), Lane (87), Lincoln (14), Linn (38), Malheur (17), Marion (107), Morrow (4), Multnomah (166), Polk (27), Tillamook (12), Umatilla (22), Union (19), Wallowa (2), Wasco (26), Washington (120) and Yamhill (28).
Oregon’s 4,448th and 5,384th COVID-19-related deaths, reported on Nov. 3, 2021, and Dec. 13, 2021, respectively, were identified to be the same person. Because of this update, OHA is renumbering its report to start with 6,485 today.
Oregon WIC warns participants about recall of contaminated formula due to bacteria
PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Health Authority is warning Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program participants to be on the lookout for powder infant formulas that may be contaminated with Cronobacter or Salmonella bacteria.
The Food and Drug Administration last week announced a voluntary recall of certain powder formulas manufactured by Abbott at its Sturgis, Mich., facility due to the presence of Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella newport bacteria.
Products included are all sizes of these powdered formulas:
- Similac Advance
- Similac Sensitive
- Similac Alimentum
- Similac Total Comfort
- Similac for Spit up
- EleCare Infant
- EleCare Junior
Oregon WIC, which is among state WIC programs across the country that have contracts with Abbott for infant formulas, recommends participants check Abbott’s website at www.similacrecall.com or call 1-800-986-8540 to see if their formula is affected. Participants can take affected products to the store where they bought them for exchange or refund.
Those concerned about their infant’s health should immediately contact their health care providers. Oregon WIC also recommends parents and caregivers never dilute infant formula, or make or feed homemade infant formula to infants.
Oregon WIC has communicated with participants, stores and vendors to assist families affected by the recall. It also has obtained waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, which funds WIC, to provide other formulas and allow vendors to exchange WIC formula during the recall. Oregon WIC is working with vendors and stores so participants can purchase Mead Johnson, Gerber, and store brand formulas with their eWIC card.
The WIC Shopper App that participants use to purchase supplemental foods includes all information about the recall in multiple languages. The WIC Shopper App is available in the Apple Store or Google Play: https://ebtshopper.com/download/. — WIC participants can contact their local WIC agency for assistance.
Increased emergency SNAP benefits continue in March
Most Oregonians who receive SNAP benefits will continue to receive increased emergency food benefits in March
Approximately 386,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $62 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits
Find resources to meet your basic needs: Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center
(Salem) – Most Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments in March.
The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020. This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March, approximately 386,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $62 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits.
“We know that many rely on these additional emergency food benefits to get enough healthy food for themselves and their families,” said Claire Seguin, deputy director of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Self-Sufficiency Programs. “We also know that many Oregonians are still struggling to meet their basic needs and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211 and the Oregon Food Bank for support during this difficult time.”
Current SNAP households will receive emergency allotments on March 11. Emergency allotments will be issued March 31 or April 2 for households who did not receive benefits in the first monthly issuance.
SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards.
More information about emergency allotments is available at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/Emergency-Allotments.aspx.
Questions about your SNAP benefits should be directed to the ONE Customer Service Center at 1-800-699-9075.
If your household receives SNAP and your income or the number of people in your household has changed, it could impact your benefits. It is important to make sure ODHS has the most up-to-date information.
You can report any changes to your income or household in many ways:
- Online at: ONE.Oregon.gov
- By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
- By fax at: 503-378-5628
- By phone at: 1-800-699-9075 or TTY 711
Resources to help meet basic needs
- Find a food pantry: foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
- Learn about government programs and community resources for older adults and people with disabilities: Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org.
- Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
- Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center
Administered by ODHS, SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to approximately 1 million eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities. Oregonians in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP, child care, cash assistance and Medicaid. Learn more at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-dhs-benefits. For local resources in your area, such as food or shelter, please call 2-1-1 or reach out to the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) at 1-855-ORE-ADRC or 1-855-673-2372.
Deadline For Rent Assistance 2/28
The deadline for Oregon renters to pay rent accrued from April 2020 to June 2021 is fast approaching. That date is Feb. 28.
Since June last year, the state has paid more than $280 million to about 40,000 households through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program. People can still apply for rental assistance through the program.
As the deadline approaches, the Executive Director of the Springfield Eugene Tenant Association is urging people who need help to apply.
“Even if you’re not 100% sure if you qualify or not, we really recommend to look into that and to apply for those rent assistance programs,” Timothy Morris said.
He said the deadline means some renters who’ve been struggling financially throughout the pandemic will not be able to maintain their housing.
“We could be talking about thousands of families. We could be talking about hundreds of community members that are just suddenly displaced and without places to go and without the money to go anywhere,” Morris said.
Once a tenant applies, they are in a protected state where the landlord cannot take any action against them for non-payment of rent.
Oregon to Honor Fallen Law Enforcement Officers May 3rd, 2022- Ceremony Closed to the Public
The Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Ceremony is a significant event that the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is proud to host each year in partnership with the Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, Oregon Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, and Oregon’s various statewide law enforcement associations.
The State’s memorial honors more than 180 fallen Oregon law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty since the 1860s. This includes officers from city, county, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies who have served as law enforcement officers, corrections officers, and parole and probation officers.
The names of three fallen Oregon law enforcement officers will be added to the wall this year. A shortened version of the traditional ceremony will take place to honor and remember those who have fallen, and the families they left behind. The ceremony will once again be closed to the public in order to adhere to safety restrictions in place due to the current pandemic; only a small number of invited guests will attend. The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022.
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect
The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130
A 17-year-old was reported missing in Salem and detectives say the teen might be the victim of an online catfishing scheme.
Ezra Mayhugh, 17, was last seen on October 15, 2021 after being dropped off in downtown Salem by a friend, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. He was reported as a runaway the following day when he did not return home.
Investigators say he might be in Washington or California. They hope to reunite Ezra safely with family members.
He’s described as about 5-foot 11-inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes.
If you have had contact with Mayhugh since October 15 or have other helpful information on his whereabouts, the sheriff’s office asks you to contact Detective M.J. Sphoon at 503-588-6808 or to submit a tip by texting TIPMCSO and your tip to 847411.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/